Why are we so fascinated with the notion of instant, easy connection? I understand the driving needs of the driven to stay connected on the business side of the equation, although I must admit that for years I did my best to avoid being reachable 24x7.
Eventually I succumbed and now carry my ubiquitous Blackberry everywhere I go.
From my vantage point, it looks to me like the American fascination with quick and easy is in constant evolution. A more cynical view would say it is in a constant state of mutation.
Remember the quick and easy road to riches promised in the dot com era? As an Associate Partner at Andersen Consulting -- today's Accenture -- I had a front row seat witnessing firsthand the heyday of dot com mania.
I recall all too well the hubris of the then 20 and 30-something crowd who claimed that this market was different, that the internet era would be spared the vagaries of traditional markets, and that a new reality was emerging which would lay waste to old school notions of underlying value and economic performance. Even the 40-something's were caught up in the "this time it's different" thinking.
They were right about one thing: the course of business was being radically reshaped, right along with just about everything else we thought we knew about how people would interact with one another. The internet was, in fact, a game changer. The coolest thing about the internet was the exponential acceleration of the information age and the ability to connect with people in unique and interesting ways.
It seems that our fascination with quick and easy remains alive and well, if perhaps redirected in potentially interesting and unsatisfying ways.
May I present Social Networking . It's as though the quick and easy way to fulfillment shifted from stocks, houses and excessive compensation to the quick and easy fulfillment of instant connection, facilitated by friends lists, texting and 140 character Tweets.
What's the Appeal of Social Networking Anyway?
I know I have my Facebook, LinkedIn, and Plaxo accounts and occasionally I play with Twitter. I have four websites and blog regularly. Can't risk not being connected. But am I really connected?
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